Flea and Tick Spray

Take a BIG fat lemon (the more rind the better) and slice it paper thin.

Put in a bowl with a tablespoon of crushed rosemary leaves (or a 6 inch sprig of fresh). Pour over with a quart of hot, near boiling water. Let steep overnight.

Strain and put into a large spray bottle. Keep in fridge.

Shake well before applying.

The lemon in this spray along with the rosemary oil will give your dog a beautiful shiny coat and keep fleas and other bugs away .. Including mosquitoes, so you get extra heartworm protection.

If your dog has dry skin or allergies add a teaspoon of tea tree oil and a tablespoon of Aloe pulp.

Use the spray at least twice a week to keep the scent on the coat to repel bugs, and spray it around your doors and through the carpets.

If it's a bad flea time, spray daily on the belly and feet to repel them. 

Natural Insect Repellant

It isn't exactly a recipe for me but more of a "little of this, little of that" till it smells right kind of thing. For spray, take a small spray bottle (2 oz) and fill almost half with water and almost half with alcohol (either rubbing alcohol or Everclear grain alcohol; you can use vodka but use more vodka and less water because it's not as strong). Then add a few drops of essential oils to the mixture until it's a not-too-soft and not-too-strong doggy perfume. i think about 100 drops is pretty good for 2 oz bottle. The best essential oils for repelling insects are: pennyroyal (this is by far the best, but it is an abortive herb so do NOT use on pregnant animals or near pregnant women) citronella (but stinky, and you don't need much) clove cedarwood rosemary peppermint eucalyptus lemongrass lavender tea tree (also good for skin problems) And although it's not an essential oil, NEEM oil is very good at repelling bugs (and is also good for skin problems). It is also very stinky and a little goes a long way. You will have to shake it up every time you use it, unless you buy some polysorbate (20) and mix that in with the water and alcohol and oils. It will take between 1 and 3 times the volume of polysorbate compared to essential oils to make a clear mixture that you don't have to shake. i don't mind shaking it for myself, though. You can use any or all of the essential oils i mentioned. i usually use 2 parts pennyroyal, 1 part cedarwood, 2 parts lemongrass, 1 part neem, and 1 part tea tree and it works great and doesn't smell too bad. But i have access to a lot of different essential oils that others probably don't have access to (and they can be expensive). i would probably choose one and go with it if i didn't have access to others. For a powder, it's basically the same procedure as above but with powders instead of water and alcohol. Get some talcum powder (unscented if possible), or just corn starch will work. Neem powder works great in this (about 3 parts talc or starch to 1 part neem). Put the powders in a food processor, wear a mask and glasses, start the machine, and dribble the essential oils in as the processor mixes it. You can sprinkle this on the dog and rub it in on the belly. Both of these work great to repel and prevent bugs naturally. However, they're not like Frontline which you only use once a month. It will wash off, or wear off in time. If the dog goes swimming, I’d reapply after swimming. Otherwise every day that you want protection you can apply it and maybe again in the evenings when the bugs get worse. We use it before we take the dogs to the woods on hikes. Sneaker will go swimming and i don't reapply it every time, but after about 3 or 4 times i will. Use caution around eyes and nose for both powder and spray. This works best for dogs that have allergies to the vet's office chemicals or when those chemicals aren't enough (like during really bad bug seasons or when going hiking or camping as added protection). i'll add this to the recipe section even though it isn't for food, too.